October 24, 2008

That's from the NYT "Caucus" blog, where the first commenter notes the URL: "pains-makeup-stylist-fetches-highest-salary-in-2-week-period." Pain.

Let me add that I do not have a problem with paying a lot for the makeup job. It's extremely important. Remember how great Hillary Clinton always looked during the primaries. That didn't just happen. And bad makeup can screw up even a male candidate's campaign. Let's not forget the rouge that cost Al Gore the presidency:

This election always has been about one thing, and it was thoughtfully touched on by Kriss Soterion, the former Miss New Hampshire and owner-operator of Kriss Cosmetics & the Studio of Holistic Beauty in Manchester, N.H. Kriss, you may recall, was invited to do the vice president's makeup for the first Gore; Bush game. Before the debate, the local papers were running endless profiles of the hometown gal on the eve of her big break. After the debate, she entered the witness protection program. The pancake she smeared on Gore's cheeks, on top of his overly worked-out, 23-inch neck, on top of his lumpy suit, combined to make him look like Herman Munster doing a bad Ronald Reagan impression.

Poor old Kriss would like to make up for her makeup, but she fears she'll never get another chance, and now seems to be going through some existential crisis, riddled with self-doubt and questioning her calling. She told the New Hampshire Sunday News that her catastrophic touchup of Al has caused her to "think deeply" about "the psychology of makeup." "It just makes me think about the whole thing, about wearing masks," she said. "It's kind of a fascinating subject, to analyze why we hide behind it in the first place."

This is not a subject the vice president wants to discuss at this stage in the election cycle, but Kriss has a point. For the second presidential faceoff, Al was appearing without his face on -- not just the foundation and rouge, but in a broader sense: The mouth wasn't merely in non-sighing mode, it was zipped up and hung slack; the eyes seemed dead. The only remnants of last week's Gore were the eyebrows (N.B., Kriss: nice pencil liner) imperiously arched with the amused contempt of an overthrown king sitting through his own show trial. On Wednesday night, the vice president had the look of a man who'd run out of masks. After the expansive array of dazzling new Gores of the last year, the vice president apparently opened his closet and found that his housekeeper had sent all his identities to the cleaners.

Ha ha. That's Mark Steyn, writing in 2001. You do not want to lose the election over makeup.

Who was the highest paid individual in Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign during the first half of October as it headed down the homestretch?

Not Randy Scheunemann, Mr. McCain’s chief foreign policy adviser; not Nicolle Wallace, his senior communications staff member. It was Amy Strozzi, who was identified by the Washington Post this week as Gov. Sarah Palin’s traveling makeup artist, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday night.

The paper doesn't get it. You can't compare the political position salaries to the makeup artist's salary. Top end makeup artistry is a celebrity-level service, and it carries a celebrity-level price tag. Political positions do not earn celebrity-level service salaries. That's the market, and them's the breaks.

Yes, when people appear on television, they need makeup, and these people cost money. How much did the makeup and clothes cost for the other candidates, or for their wives? Is that story out there anywhere?

And in the meantime, Obama has actually stolen the presidency with 200,000 fraudulently registered votes in Ohio, thanks to ACORN, to whom he paid $800,000, which he received from illegal contributors from places like Gaza and Syria; which weren't discovered because his online contribution site doesn't verify that the contributor's information matches that on the credit card -- a very basic verification that had to actually be actively disabled, and that is performed automatically, by default, in any online credit card transaction, including the donation sites of Republican office-seekers.

Freeman, yeah. It's a market, and this woman had to leave whatever her other things are. She had to design the makeup for a person that would be appearing under different lighting conditions, and she was drawing on a lifetime of expertise.

FM said...The paper doesn't get it. You can't compare the political position salaries to the makeup artist's salary. Top end makeup artistry is a celebrity-level service, and it carries a celebrity-level price tag. Political positions do not earn celebrity-level service salaries. That's the market, and them's the breaks.

also consider that the make up gal likely has to close her shop, turn away long time local customers and go travel. and be on call 24x7. so the economic payoff has to make up for lost current and future income.

for the campaign staff, they are working cheap now expecting to get good jobs later. so they are deferring income now, unlike the make-up gal

Comments about things I'm not blogging about are going to be deleted. I chose the subjects. Interesting digression in comments is appreciated here, but that doesn't include criticizing me for blogging one thing or another.

Bob said... "When did Ann denounce her 'Cruel Nuetrality' pledge? Its clear she has now swallowed the Kool-Aid."

You mean renounce not denounce, and why is this comment remotely apt to a post defending Palin? This is what drives me mad about Althouse's critics - so many of them take one glance at the post and project their own baggage onto the post.

It would be very hypocritical for the broadcast media to make much of this story. Newspaper hacks I can see, having been one myself. But T.V. people know good make-up artists, and they are artists, cost $$.

Well, I don't doubt it. I do find it interesting, so feel free to clue me in.

But I always thought there was a substantial difference between everyday makeup and "getting made up" for cameras and spotlights. I'm talking about the second kind. I imagine it would be a very strange experience for most people, and yet it's routine for the most people we 'know' through media.

Express yourself. Try not to be boring. And, really, don't comment to say I should be blogging about some other subject. If you have a tip on what I should blog, email me at annalthouse (at) mac (dot) com.

OT: I met an actor who brought his own makeup to his movies. (A good idea if you're doing small films because you never know what a low budget production will have, and you need to look your best if you're trying to build a career.) But then he also wore the makeup when he went out at night to meet girls!

Yaknow, and someone here might know the answer, but is it harder to get stage makeup if you're black than white? I'm not trolling, but it's one of those things that never occurred to me until now. (KInda like when a black friend of mine got sunburn some years ago - who knew?)

I want to know is her eye liner tattooed or cosmetic? And if it is tattooed, who do it and how much did it cost? And why doesn't she wear contacts or have Lasik surgery? These are things we need to know about our next VP.

mccullough wrote: It would be very hypocritical for the broadcast media to make much of this story. Newspaper hacks I can see, having been one myself. But T.V. people know good make-up artists, and they are artists, cost $$.

The NYT image has been resisting a makeover for quite some time and it shows.

Remember Katherine Harris? The woman was pilloried for her heavy makeup and fake eyelashes. Do you think any campaign wanted to see a repeat of that? Palin can't win with these liberal losers - look like you just came from Alaska, and they snicker like a bunch of 13 year old girls. Look great, and they whine about the cost. Want to relive your middle school years? Join the Democratic Party!

A month ago (pretty much to the day) we learned that McCain spent more than 5K on his makeup--with the American Idol makeup person.

And, IMHO McCain's been looking a lot older since then. Maybe he got a cheaper makeup person. Maybe he should rehire the American Idol person, assuming she's not around the campaign anymore. Maybe he should hire Palin's makeup person, she seems to be pretty successful.

But, more importantly, I don't think the McCain campaign is well run. I have no doubt that they could have found perfectly fine makeup and clothes for less than $175,000 (or whatever it ends up being) for a month or so.

How does this sort of thing happen? Do, some campaign big shots (would McCain be involved?) gather around a conference table and authorize a blank check for clothes and makeup? Did they set a budget, as one would expect? Was the budget for $200,000, or more?

I keep thinking of that biting line Rs use against Ds; "they always think that the problems is we need to spend more money." I have no doubt that less could have been spent on Palin with the same results. But, I'm fascinated by the internal dynamics around these spending decisions.

Maybe the the theory was that they wanted to double down on her strengths. Did they openly say, or in some ways think; "she's attractive, so lets spend limitless money maximizing her attractiveness." It's obvious that they knew having her talk to the media wasn't her strength.

This would also explain why they paid for flat screens to show rally goers her bus as it approached her rally venue. Likewise the smoke machines that emphasized her arrival as she exits the bus. This level of hype puts a convention stage with columns (like W's previous one) to shame.

Maybe their defense would be that they had to play the cards they were dealt. Except that they actually they played the card that McCain specifically chose.

P.S.

Here's some context for you rccoean:

It wasn't long ago that some folks were ridiculing Romney for spending $300 on his makeup for one of the primary debates.

And, Romney always looked fine. He was no better a starting point than Palin. So, it's safe to assume Palin can look good w/o spending hundreds of thousands of dollars.

1jpb said..."I don't think the McCain campaign is well run. I have no doubt that they could have found perfectly fine makeup and clothes for less than $175,000 (or whatever it ends up being) for a month or so ... This level of hype puts a convention stage with columns (like W's previous one) to shame."

There is a great deal of difference in wearing make-up for the "stage" or to be seen in front of a crowd, compared to the ordinary make up that a woman would wear.

Also HDTV has made some changes too. The extreme pore examining closeups in that format require skillful application.

The make up "artist" that they have hired has to be able to apply the cosmetics appropriately to each of the venues that Palin might appear in. The term artist is not a joke. It is very very difficult to be a good make up artist.

And as Freeman says, the person had to close up her existing business for the duration of the campaign.

A) Bush stole the election in florida. B) Gore allowed himself to be overhandled (as so many candidates, like McCain, do) and was not himelf. C) The long streams of lies in the news media about Gore hurt. (he never claimed to "invent the internet," etc).

Alma nailed it completely. Katherine Harris was mercilessly mocked by the MSM for her make-up.

Stage make-up, meant to be seen from a distance under strong lights, is different from TV and movie make-up, meant to be seen under strong lights by cameras which can be manipulated (e.g. the famous gauze through which older actresses are filmed) is different from HDTV makeup which sees every flaw in detail beyond previous imaginings. Every appearance Palin makes demands that she look good remote on the podium and up close with all those HD cameras the news now uses. Not an easy task. All of which which I see DBQ noted while I was typing, but I'll reinforce the idea anyway.

And guys, trust us, 50% of the voting population knows and judges the make-up even if we don't think it worth discussing.

I was mightily impressed, in a negative way, with the uniform airbrushing everyone received at the Republican National Convention. All newscasters, all interviewees, all speakers received a uniform coverage of powder. It was so obvious it was actually funny, like all the people were puppets made from the same material.

the drill sgt. is 100% correct. So I really have nothing useful to add to this thread, except, does anybody know how I can cover this B and O I scratched on my cheeks with a key? I thought it would be a good idea, but now I see I'm mistaken. I think I drew the 0 backwards. I want it to not be obvious I'm using makeup. Thanx.

Nah ricpic, any other game it might be a problem but Plaxico was dumped by Pittsburgh so he wants to stick it to them as soon as much as possible. Look for him to have a good game. But the running game and time of possesion will dictate who wins.

I AM BILL. I am the everyday forgotten little guy in your neighborhood, the quiet anarcho-syndicalist family man who gets up early and punches the clock at the local state university, writing the manifestos and polemics and grant proposals that keep America humming. I'm just doing my job, and all I ask in return is a little respect. And tenure. And Chicago Citizen of the Year awards. And two graduate assistants to grade exams for Practicum in Imperialist Racist Hegemony 311, because I'm teaching two sections this semester. Also, a sabbatical to Italy next summer would be nice.

I AM BILL. I grew up in a simple little gated community just like yours, with white picket fences and where all the aux pairs and gardeners know your name. When my dad came home from a hard day's work as a CEO, he was never too tired to help me with my homework or tousle my hair for winning the Lake Forest Academy essay contest on Hegelian Dialectics. Yes, he was a simpleminded bourgeois technocrat of the capitalist war machine, but he made sure I got the tuition and tutors and sailing lessons and allowance I needed to make it on my own. I wish he was still alive so I could tell him how much I really planned to kill him last.

I AM BILL. I work with my hands, grizzled and calloused from years on a non-ergonomic keyboard. Maybe I don't know pipe wrenches, but I know pipe bombs, and I've built them right there in my communal kitchen and I've watched with pride as they've offed a couple of pigs. Sure, maybe I've made a few mistakes with wiring or detonator timing and it ends up killing a couple of comrades. But you know what? I get up, dust myself off, and get right back to the drawing board. Because when it comes to international Maoist revolution, quitters never win and winners never quit.

I AM BILL. I love traveling the highways and byways of this great, puke-inducing country we call America, visiting its police stations and ROTC buildings and legislative halls. And when the pigs finally catch up with me and dad hires a legal team to get me off on a technicality, it lets me know that yes, Bill, you can go home again.

It's not how you start the season that matters, it's how you end it. It seems like the the giants and Cowboys have flipped since last year. The giants will fold late in the season, Dallas will beat them in the playoffs on the way to another superbowl victory and all will be right with the world. Enjoy it while you can.

So, Zach. Have at her. I didn't believe her in the first place, but I did try to give her the benefit of the doubt.

No more. What she did is unconscionable and I hope they throw the book at her.

Only happy she didn't help to convict the wrong fellow, before it was too late (there was a man fitting her description who was suspected of mugging in the area -- imagine if he had been charged with this).

Palin is attractive. That's why I don't think it should cost so much to primp her.

The only thing I find interesting about this whole thing is; why and how did the McCain folks end up doing this lavish primping.

My completely uninformed speculation is that the McCain folks spared no expense maximizing her appearance because that's something that she excels at.

She could not answer basic questions from the media without the possibility of getting lost in a jumble of recently learned talking points, or just going blank (e.g. reading habits and SCOTUS decisions.) So, the McCain folks seemed to hope that making her image a little more attractive (than her already notable attractiveness) would somewhat counter the issue of her unpreparedness for the job (and by the "the job" I don't mean being "in charge" of the Senate also.)

P.S.My use of the past tense is stupid. It's not over, anything can still happen, but I'm too lazy to edit.

Hey you know the Steelers suck wind when they get one of their best players to run for office and he loses big time. You racists.

I mean you know Frank Gifford could be governor tommorrow if he wanted it. He already has the sex scandal like Spitzer, the annoying kids like Guiliani and the pain in the ass wife like Bill Clinton. He has all the bases covered.

I think it ill behooves the blog mistress to not dedicate a thread to the Steelers/Giants game. I think it will be a game for the ages. A preview of the Super Bowl. Which of course will be won by THE WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK GIANTS!!!!

I wonder what the mechanism is that makes it possible for rock fans to actually hear the lyrics through the noise, er...music. Guess it's a generational thing.

That's the beauty of rock and roll, it's like politics. You can make stuff up and if the music is real loud or the campaign noise is deafening no one hears your real message anyway. Hell, even Mick Jagger doesn't know what his songs are about. Barney Frank is the Mick Jagger of politics. Ugly as sin, makes absolutely no sense but continues to sing when he should have been booted off the stage years ago. And to keep on topic, I wonder how much Barney pays for his make up?

""Somehow, I think the evidence that many of the clothes have stayed on the airplane will be as forthcoming as those medical records."

So Palin must still prove, to Sullivan, that she is her son's mother? So sad to watch someone you really liked once slide into such utter foolishness."

It's beyond foolishness. Sullivan is a vile, repulsive, immoral person. I'd like to see his medical records, because I think he's in the midst of some AIDS-related dementia. It's up to him to prove otherwise. Why not hold him to his "standards"?

I hear America Ferrara hated Lindsey so much that she had thrown off the show after four episodes instead of the six she was signed for originally. Also there was a scene where Ugly Betty was supposed to "pants" Lindsey. In rehersal, America actually pulled down Lindsey's pants when she wasn't supposed to and Lindsey didn't have any panties on.

Althouse’s future glimpsed in Queens, NY from a story in the New York Post.

HOUSE GONE TO THE DOGS - 33 OF 'EMBy Adam Nichols (New York Post, October 24,2008)

Talk about being in the dog house! Animal rescuers were called to a Queens home yesterday and found its elderly owners sharing the two-bedroom house with their pet poodles - all 33 of them.

"It was overwhelming," said Alison Cardona, director of disaster response for the ASPCA.

"There were poodles everywhere. The whole house was packed full of miniature white dogs, the heaviest of which was 20 pounds. They were literally everywhere, scurrying under sofas and under beds and peeking out at us.

"I can't even describe what it was like in there. This was 33 dogs in one home, they weren't going outside and they weren't being walked.

"Let's just say conditions were deteriorating quickly."

The rescue operation was launched after a social worker visiting the dogs' owners alerted the ASPCA. The couple, whose names were not revealed, are not facing criminal charges.

"I think it just got out of control," said Cardona. "I think they had a couple of dogs and they bred them. They managed to maintain a reasonable number for a while, but because of their own age and deteriorating health it got out of control. They couldn't find homes for them, and they began to get swamped."

The dogs, the youngest of which is only 2 months old, were taken from the home to the ASPCA's adoption center on East 92nd Street.